Gas station in Havana, closed because it has nothing to sell. Photo: Irina Shatalova / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Canada said Monday it plans to provide aid to Cuba as the island faces fuel shortages after Washington decided to block Cuba's oil supply.
The announcement came as Washington stepped up its pressure campaign against the communist island, a longtime adversary of the United States, in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump's administration has moved to block all oil supplies to Cuba, including from ally Venezuela, which has driven up food and transport prices and caused a severe fuel crisis and frequent power outages.
“We are preparing an assistance plan. At this time we are not prepared to provide any further details on this announcement,” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Monday, without elaborating on what that assistance would include.
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The UN has warned that if Cuba's energy needs are not addressed, it could cause a humanitarian crisis.
Canada said last week it was monitoring the situation in Cuba and was concerned about the “growing risk of a humanitarian crisis” in that country.
Emboldened by the US military's capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid in January, Trump has repeatedly spoken of taking action against Cuba and putting pressure on its leadership.
The U.S. and Canada have also had tensions over the past year over issues such as tariffs, Trump's rhetoric toward Greenland, Canadians' attempt to “warm” relations with China and Prime Minister Mark Carney's remark that “middle powers” should act together to avoid becoming victims of U.S. hegemony.
Trump declared that “Cuba will fail soon,” adding that Venezuela, once the island's main supplier, had recently stopped sending oil or money to Cuba.
Human rights experts believe that Trump's foreign policy and his emphasis on exploiting Venezuelan oil and closing the door on Cuba is an imperialist approach.
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